Chapter 23: Fierce Crane, Ghostly Bones

The canyon where the two were attacked was still some distance from the Chi Ze Forest, the center of Wangliang Valley. By the time they reached the dense forest, which was sealed off by heavy fog and appeared boundless, the sky had gradually darkened. The thick, deep mist had long since locked away the sunlight, plunging the entire mountain range into a dark, blurred twilight. Floating light drifted about, creating thousands of illusions, and the atmosphere was filled with an eerie, uncanny air.

Ever since leaving the canyon, Ye Xuanshang had been uncharacteristically silent. Zi Rao had spent seven years in quiet cultivation within the Profound Tower, where going a thousand days without speaking to anyone was a common occurrence; she guessed a bit of what was on his mind and did not disturb him. The two used their light-body techniques, landing silently on a rock. Only then did Ye Xuanshang speak in a low voice, "There are people ahead."

Zi Rao nodded. The two concealed their figures and quietly approached the edge of the Chi Ze Forest. Several flickers of firelight were faintly visible from before the mountain rocks. Beside the dense forest, several large men in golden robes stood holding torches; the dancing, swaying firelight made their expressions shift between light and shadow. In the darkness, ice-blue fireflies drifted and wandered; once they neared the torches, they would vanish. Yet, in the distant Chi Ze Forest, cold points of light floated continuously, making one feel as if they were looking into the depths of the netherworld—an indescribably demonic sight.

Because they were so close to each other, it was inconvenient to talk. Ye Xuanshang used his fingertip to write three characters on Zi Rao's palm: "Yue Ma Gang." These people were dressed in luxurious and refined clothing, clearly high-ranking figures within the Yue Ma Gang. However, everyone's expression was grave; it was unclear what exactly had happened.

Just as they were pondering this, a scream suddenly erupted from within the Chi Ze Forest. The cry was incomparably shrill, causing everyone's heart to skip a beat, and the expressions of the golden-robed men changed abruptly. Following several more screams, the forest returned to a deathly silence. The leading golden-robed man frowned and ordered, "Follow me into the forest!"

"Branch Leader Qin," an underling beside him advised, "this forest is so strange. We have already lost six groups of men inside today. Entering now is too risky; why not wait until tomorrow?"

That Branch Leader Qin snorted coldly: "Hmph! Is the Young Gang Leader's injury more important, or is your life more important?"

The underling immediately dared not speak further. The group relit several torches, illuminating the surroundings, and each drew their weapons, slowly heading into the forest.

The light of the torches was quickly swallowed by the bottomless fog. Zi Rao turned her head and asked, "How is it?"

A hint of mockery appeared in Ye Xuanshang's eyes, and he threw out a flat remark, "Courageous but lacking strategy." As if responding to his judgment, a heart-rending scream rang out again from the Chi Ze Forest. The two recognized the voice as belonging to the person who had just voiced his opposition, and their eyes tightened simultaneously. This time, the interval between screams was slightly longer, but it was only for an instant. The fog in the forest suddenly surged without wind, and vaguely, a human figure could be seen dancing wildly as they rushed outward.

Zi Rao focused her gaze, vaguely recognizing it as Branch Leader Qin. Seeing him hacking wildly with his sword, as if desperately fending off something, her wrist moved slightly, intending to save him, but she was stopped by Ye Xuanshang.

Zi Rao looked at him with surprise, but Ye Xuanshang only stared fixedly ahead. At this moment, the man was about to run out of the forest when suddenly, the fog above him swirled and surged violently, transforming into a massive shadow that covered him from above. Within the black mist, a sharp blade seemed to strike out like lightning, accurately and unerringly hitting the top of his head!

A scream—a scream filled with endless terror—erupted from his mouth. The man rushed out of the forest with his face covered in blood, ran another dozen steps, and then collapsed to the ground. His body twitched continuously, gradually becoming a corpse devoid of life. The fog in the Chi Ze Forest ahead had long since calmed, and the points of fluorescent light flew and turned, a scene of eerie tranquility, as if nothing had ever happened.

Ye Xuanshang watched the scene calmly, his expression lacking even a hint of surprise; only when the black shadow in the mist revealed its form did his gaze sharpen slightly.

"What is that thing?" Zi Rao's brow furrowed slightly. By now, she understood Ye Xuanshang's intention, but although he had lured the strange object out of the forest, it was impossible to see clearly within the thick fog.

"Hard to say, but it is definitely not human." Ye Xuanshang said simply, then stood up and lit a fire-starter.

Zi Rao went forward with him, and upon looking down, a ripple stirred in the depths of her eyes. The crown of the man's head had been struck through, leaving a blood-hole the size of a fist; the skull was completely shattered, and snow-white brain matter mixed with crimson blood flowed out, painting a terrifying and miserable sight across his entire face. Behind that blood, extreme terror still lingered, causing his expression to twist into something nearly ferocious.

"Careful!" Ye Xuanshang whispered a warning, reaching out to pull her back a few steps. The top of the corpse's head was suddenly covered in ice-blue glowing dots, and countless fireflies began to gather where the blood flowed out. Soon, the entire body was wrapped in layers of floating light, emitting a dark, netherworldly glow. A dense sound, like silkworms eating mulberry leaves, continued incessantly. In just a moment, a large man was reduced to clean white bones, with no flesh or blood remaining. The patches of floating light gradually dispersed in all directions, finally vanishing into the depths of the dark forest.

Witnessing all this, Zi Rao felt her heart go numb, and for a moment, she did not know what to say. Ye Xuanshang said in a deep voice, "Let's go back."

Zi Rao's heart paused, and then she said, "I will not stop you from leaving the valley, but no matter what the situation is ahead, I must go."

Ye Xuanshang looked at her for a while by the faint light of the fire, the corners of his lips curling slightly, "Entering the valley in the dead of night is truly unwise. Even if you want to brave this dragon's den and tiger's lair, you must return with me first. Since I accompanied you here, I will not let you return empty-handed. We must find a suitable place to rest well tonight; only by gathering our strength will we have a chance of winning tomorrow."

Zi Rao was stunned, her fine eyelashes lifting suddenly. The firelight danced in her eyes like enchanting butterflies, gradually transforming into a bright, alluring tenderness like autumn water. Ye Xuanshang suddenly raised an eyebrow and laughed in a low voice: "If you want to thank me, there is no need. You know, I have my own requests."

Zi Rao could not help but feel stifled. Looking at his intentionally revealed, ulterior-motive-filled smirk, the slight apology she had felt earlier vanished without a trace. Her starry eyes shimmered with crystal light as she stared at him unblinkingly, "What are you asking for?"

Ye Xuanshang leisurely appreciated her alluring beauty, his eyes full of laughter. Then, a sudden, unexpected sentence was spoken with a steady, firm tone that made it impossible to resist: "I don't care who you are here for, but I—I came here for you."

A cluster of burning bonfire cast warm shadows in the endless night. The cave had a slightly damp atmosphere, hazy and deep. Under the illumination of the flames, the surrounding stone walls took on a dark purple hue, with needle-like glimmers flashing from time to time.

With the Guili Sword resting across his knees, Ye Xuanshang sat quietly by the bonfire, regulating his breathing. The True Qi within his body flowed naturally, and the day's fatigue vanished completely. He guided his True Qi to circulate through his meridians, returning to his original state. When he opened his eyes, he found Zi Rao sitting alone at the cave entrance, quietly looking at the sky.

There were no stars or moon in the sky. The direction her gaze was cast toward was a distant darkness, deep and vast. The night sky was so pure in its blackness, as if it contained all things, yet it was so empty that it held nothing at all—just like every night she had seen during her years in the Profound Tower, never changing in the slightest. Ancient and desolate, a thousand years of nothingness, yet her expression appeared extremely soft, as if she were seeing someone or something within that endless void. That deep longing transformed into a gentle, clear smile at the corner of her lips, which actually caused Ye Xuanshang's heart to tremble slightly.

In the depths of her deep black eyes, the faint firelight reflected half of her profile. From the tips of her hair to her fingertips, she flowed with a cold, beautiful charm. Clear and graceful, the woman before him was like a dark lotus blooming silently at the boundary between light and darkness. Her ink-colored charm, born from a pure and independent existence, possessed a soul-devouring allure. A single unintentional posture was enough to overturn the prosperity of three thousand worlds. Such a Zi Rao suddenly reminded Ye Xuanshang of another woman—the most mysterious figure existing within the Mu Guo's palace.

A woman who had entered the Dao and could perceive the profound mysteries. His father the King had built the "Yu Zhen Guan" and opened the "Tai Xu Pool" for her, even granting her a status superior to the Queen, yet no one had ever seen her true face hidden behind the light veil.

But he—he had seen her during his final visit to the palace before leaving for the Chu Kingdom.

After many years, he could no longer clearly remember what had caused him to storm out from behind the curtains of the sleeping quarters, striding through the garden filled with luxurious flowers. The irrepressible anger had made his blood boil like a sea of fire, and he had almost wanted to draw his sword and roar to vent his frustration. It was then that the woman in the purple Daoist robe had appeared at the end of his line of sight.

Silently, she had brushed her snow-white fingertips across the ice-carved, jade-sculpted flower stamens. The light veil was lifted by a clear breeze, and in an instant, the peony makeup was ruined, its beauty losing all luster.

"To defend the country and fight, is not as good as leaving the country."

Even today, those gentle, shallow words—so indifferent yet ultimately the reason the young man was willing to enter Chu as a hostage—still echoed in his ears. The fleeting glimpse of her beneath the light veil in his memory, that alluring beauty that made heaven and earth lose their color, seemed like a faint mockery of all the beauty in the world, yet it was as gentle as bottomless spring water. At this moment, under the firelight of her shallow, flowing shadow, it overlapped perfectly with Zi Rao's bone-deep, clear, and enchanting smile.

"Zi Rao," Ye Xuanshang spoke suddenly, his voice so soft that even he himself felt surprised, "what are you thinking about?"

Zi Rao seemed to be startled from unknown thoughts, "Nothing," she smiled faintly, "I was just wondering if we can find the Zhu Jiuyin tomorrow and obtain the snake gall."

Ye Xuanshang said, "Or are you still thinking about the person who needs the snake gall?"

Zi Rao was startled upon hearing this, but her smile remained, "Perhaps both."

"Can I know who he is?"

This question was asked with a hint of tension in his voice. Across the light and dark lines, the woman before him lowered her eyes in silence. When she looked up again, the faint, cool ripples beneath the misty waves made one's heart ache incessantly, "He is my brother," she said in a low voice, "the person in this world who dotes on me and loves me the most. I went to the Chu capital to seek medical treatment for him, but the other party said that unless I could obtain this snake gall as a consultation fee, he would refuse to take his pulse."

Zi Rao's dark brows furrowed slightly, and a cold, bright light shimmered in her fine, alluring eyes. Relying on the secret arts of the Witch Clan, she had indeed found Witch Doctor Qi Shi in the Chu capital a few days ago. This old monster deeply hated the royal family and had refused her outright upon learning her intentions. Later, although she had forced him with words, he had proposed such harsh conditions.

Although she knew it was an intentional attempt to make things difficult, she still had to come to Wangliang Valley. Even if Witch Doctor Qi Shi went back on his word when the time came, this snake gall could temporarily suppress the toxicity, at least so he would no longer have to suffer the pain of the venomous snake gnawing at his bones. Looking out of the cave again, the fog locked the dark forest—a place where demons and monsters thrived. Yet, in the distance, there was a smile she was incomparably familiar with, turning the cold night into a pure, white tranquility. That was the only light in the endless darkness of reincarnation, the thing she would exhaust everything to protect.

Ye Xuanshang's unintentionally straightened spine relaxed slightly, and his gaze held only deep brightness and warmth, "Rest assured, we will definitely be able to obtain the snake gall and return. With the martial arts of the two of us, dealing with the strange objects in that forest should not be a problem. Just be careful of those 'Ghost Bone Insects'. Tomorrow, when we enter the valley, be extremely careful not to let any blood be seen, otherwise, it will be troublesome if they are attracted."

Zi Rao knew he was referring to those ice-blue firefly insects. She narrowed her eyes in thought, then flicked her fingertip, manifesting a light, ink-colored butterfly. With a turn of her hand and a wave of her sleeve, the ink butterfly flew toward the fluorescent light drifting outside the cave. With a soft 'pop', it burst into a swirling spray of sparks. The sparks scattered, and the Ghost Bone Insects that had been drifting uncertainly were instantly swallowed, leaving nothing behind. Zi Rao pointed to the fire in front of her for Ye Xuanshang, "Ghost Bone Insects fear fire. The torches held by those Yue Ma Gang people earlier and this bonfire are their nemesis. My Flame Butterfly is formed from the fire of the five elements, and it is equally effective."

Ye Xuanshang smiled, "Such beautiful martial arts, such a beautiful person—even if one were to die in the midst of it, there would be no regrets!"

Zi Rao glanced at him sideways by the firelight, "You, when you go cold-faced, you are strangely frightening, and when you speak, you often make people's teeth itch with hatred. One day, when I hate you enough, I will let you try dying at my hands."

Ye Xuanshang said leisurely: "To die beneath the peony flowers, one remains romantic even as a ghost; how fortunate I, Xuanshang, am!"

Zi Rao raised her eyes to glare at him, though she looked more like she wanted to scold him while smiling, and used a withered branch to stir the campfire, "Having you as a companion on this journey has truly saved me a lot of trouble. I never imagined Third Young Master Ye would have such rich experience in the jianghu."

Ye Xuanshang said: "I left the royal palace when I was seven years old and have been roaming the jianghu for over ten years. It would be truly strange if I were still muddled."

"Oh?" Zi Rao said, "Why did you leave the palace at seven?"

Ye Xuanshang said nonchalantly: "I did not wish to stay in the palace."

Zi Rao felt it strange in her heart and asked casually: "Why?"

Ye Xuanshang seemed to quiet down for a moment, then gave a faint, mocking laugh, "The Empress Dowager did not like me. She said that when she was pregnant with me, she dreamt of a white tiger roaring at the sun, and was so frightened by the nightmare that she went into premature labor, nearly losing her life. A white tiger roaring at the sun, meeting a son means overcoming the mother, so she detested me, this son, immensely. Even when she was critically ill and on her deathbed, I traveled thousands of miles from Mobei to return, yet she refused to see me even once. What meaning was there for me to stay in the palace?"

Overcoming the mother. These two words flashed into her mind, and she finally remembered the reason for that indignant departure from the palace. The Crown Prince's ulterior motives, the King's profound gaze, and the Empress Dowager's icy countenance—she had not given a shred of warmth while alive, and after death, she brought even more absurd embarrassment. After leaving the palace that day, he was subsequently ordered to enter Chu. Apart from the status of a hostage and endless assassination attempts, for six years he had never again had the slightest intersection with the Mu State.

In reality, ever since he became a disciple of the Heavenly Sect Master, State Preceptor Qu Mi, at the age of seven to study the martial Dao, that golden, resplendent royal palace had long been infinitely distant in his heart.

But one day, he would return.

The Guili Sword resting across his knees tightened slowly in his fingers, and the blade-like smile at the corners of his lips deepened a fraction. The flickering flames reflected his entire face, making it look as deep and sharp as if carved by a knife. The killing intent tempered over many years by open spears and hidden arrows invisibly forced the blazing fire to dance incessantly.

Zi Rao was silent for a moment, "I... asked presumptuously."

Ye Xuanshang, however, flipped his wrist, plunged the Guili Sword into the ground, leaned against the rock wall behind him to find a more comfortable position, and played with the jade pendant hanging from the sword with one hand while resting the other on his knee. In his bright flames and black robes, his smile was languid, indescribably dashing and handsome. After looking at her for a while, he suddenly said: "Of all those who know my true identity, few dare to travel the same path as me. You are the first."

Zi Rao narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, half-serious and half-joking, "Are you not afraid that I have ulterior motives? Perhaps I am also an assassin sent by Crown Prince Yu?"

Ye Xuanshang's deep eyes were full of interest, and the corners of his lips curled into a thin smile, "An assassin who is so tacit in joining forces to kill the enemy, yet so beautiful—if she truly had ulterior motives, I would gladly accept it."

Zi Rao's crisp laughter rang out, "Then tomorrow, let us see if we are still so tacit."

(End of chapter)